This is the second time I have read this novel. I like the Dan Brown novels, I have watched all the movie adaptations too. Gotta love a bit of Tom Hanks! This one I feel is more mature that the first two, it seems to give more dimension to the Masons, less of nasty view of them; or maybe it is just hidden better I don’t know.

This is Robert Langdon’s third adventure. This time he is in the US, not travelling abroad. A significant amount of the novel actually takes place in the heart of Washington DC in the Capitol Building. We get to experience Roberts claustrophobia on more than a few occasions due to this locale.

Once again Robert Langdon has been chosen to help solve a code. This time it is not a case of right place right time, it has all been organised by Mal’akh. Engineered to ensure that Langdon would solve the code (see image to the right) to find the “Lost Symbol” so that he can save his dear old friend, and mason, Peter Solomon. In this novel we see some new aspects of Masonry, I would say that this novel feels less biased and less out to prove the Masons are strong, weird or untrustworthy. I went out of my way following this novel to acquire some information books on the Freemasons so that I might be better informed.

This book deals with thought about the soul, the healing power of belief, life after death,  and the intersections of science and religion. Topics that could change the very fabric of our reality should they move from the fictional realm into the real world.